RNC Enters Wisconsin Public Sector Union Battle

Daniel Halper

February 18, 2011 3:16 PM

While the Democratic National Committee has decided to throw its support behind the pro-public sector union protesters in Wisconsin, the Republican National Committee is doing its part to get Democratic senators back to work.

“The only thing that Scott Walker is asking these state employees to do is to pay basically half the amount that everyone else pays on their pension and healthcare coverage – their contribution,” RNC chairman Reince Priebus said in a radio interview this morning on WTMJ.

But Priebus isn’t just talking to the media. The Wisconsin native is trying to reach out to Wisconsinites with a series of robo calls in state districts.

“Wisconsin’s Democrat State Senators continue shirking their duty – fleeing to Illinois rather than debating legislation in Madison that would get our fiscal house in order,” Priebus says in the call. “The Democrats in Washington are threatening they’ll shut down government over proposed spending cuts by Republicans. This isn’t leadership; this is dereliction of duty.”

Priebus ends his call by telling Wisconsinites to call their senators and urge “them to get back to work.”

The RNC is, also, trying to fundraise off protests.

“Democrats in Washington and Madison are threatening to shut down the government becaause Republicans want to cut spending and get the economy back on track,” one RNC source said, explaining the need to fundraise of the protests. “The RNC needs to have the resources so we can stand behind leaders on the hill and governors across the country who are leading on these issues instead of punting like the Democrats.”

The DNC, Ben Smith of Politico reports, “is playing an active role in organizing protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's attempt to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights.”

Priebus has only been on the job about a month. But, so far, this might be the biggest political issue he’s trying to insert himself into – especially considering the public sector union battle is likely to start spreading to other states.